Envelope feed mechanism



April 1936- A. CHERRY ET AL 2,038,645

ENVELOPE FEED MECHANI SM Filed May 27, 1935 E 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lesier 6. Cherry Clarence M Hzlier April 1936- L. A. CIIHERRY El AL 7 2,038,645

ENVELOPE FEED MECHANI SM Filed May 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Shem, 2 I

Lester A Cherry Clarer'zoe Al Fuller Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE FEED MECHANISM of New York Application May 27, 1935, Serial No. 23,626

Claims.

tending forwardly, the associated feed mechanism including fold engaging elements which are adapted to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the envelope to withdraw the envelopes one at a time from the magazine.

The principal object of the invention is a mechanism of the kind generally described in which provision is made for facilitating entry of the fold engaging elements between the flap and the body of the envelope, whereby to insure withdrawal of the envelopes from the magazine at regular predetermined intervals regardless of the proximity of the flaps to the bodies of the envelopes.

A further object is to provide a mechanism which is adjustable to accommodate envelopes of various sizes.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view partially in elevation and partially in section illustrating the feed mechanism in connection with a machine for affixing opening threads to envelopes.

Figure 2 is a. similar view in which the feed mechanism is shown moving an envelope from the magazine to the carrier upon which the envelope is to be secured during the thread afi'ixing operations.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of that part of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section of the feed mechanism and is taken along line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of the feed mechanism.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of an envelope and illustrates the action of one of the elements which is adapted to open the flap of the envelope to insure entry of the fold engaging fingers between it and the body of the envelope.

Figure 7 is a section along line l--'! of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section similar to Figure '7 showing the flap of the envelope being held open while one of the fold engaging fingers has been moved between the flap and the body of the envelope.

Figure 9 is a section taken along line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the essential parts of the feed mechanism and shows the flap of an envelope being held open as the fold engaging fingers move downwardly to withdraw the envelope from the magazine.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the same parts illustrating the positions of the flap opening elements prior to their movement beneath the flap of the next succeeding envelope in the magazine.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in connection with a machine which forms the subject matter of Patent Number 1,966,333, granted to Lester A. Cherry and Clarence N. Fuller, the said machine being adapted'to affix a thread to an envelope along the fold connecting the flap and the body of the envelope whereby the envelope may be slit along the fold to enable removal of its contents by pulling the protruding end of the thread substantially transversely of the fold.

In general the machine of the patent includes an envelope magazine, envelope feed mechanism and a rotor which carries a circular series of envelope receiving units. The rotor is revolved step-by-step to move the said units successively to an envelope receiving position with respect to the magazine, the feed mechanism being operative to withdraw an envelope from the magazine and deposit it upon a unit as the latter pauses at the envelope receiving position. The envelope is secured to the unit and as the rotor revolves the following operations are performed in the order named: (1) the sealing flap is opened and is held in this position; (2) the envelope is moved to a position in which a continuousthread to which an adhesive has been applied lies adjacent the juncture of the flap and the body of the envelope; (3) the sealing flap is folded upon, and pressed against a section of the said thread; (4) the thread is severed at a point beyond one end of the envelope so as to provide a protruding portion; and (5) the envelope is released and removed from the rotor.

The machine is sufficiently indicated by a showing of the upper ends of the side members l5 and I6 of the framework in which the various mechanisms are supported andthe rotor which is suitably supported in the said frame work is indicated at I1. The said rotor includes a series'of similar envelope receiving units l8 which, as illustrated, are spaced 45 apart and as it revolves step-by-step the envelope receiving units are moved successively to a position beneath an envelope magazine I9. The latter is carried by cross rod 20 which is'supported from a member 2| by arms 22, the said member being mounted between the side frame members l5 and 16. The magazine includes a bottom plate I9a, inclined rods 23 upon which the envelopes E are arranged in an inverted position with their sealing fiaps E extending forwardly and side guide rails24, the upper surface of the bottom plate |9a being flush with the top faces of the rods 23. A follower 25, which is arranged in the magazine behind the envelopes, is adapted to cause the envelopes to move toward the lower end of the magazine as the envelopes in the forward end are withdrawn, the upper edge of the foremost envelope engaging a depending stop 26 while the loweredg'e of the said envelope is engaged between the rounded forward edge of the plate I91; and a resilient member 27. The stop and member 2! are carried by an element 28 which is mounted upon a rod 29, the said-rod being supported from the member 2!] by arms 30.

,The mechanism for withdrawing the envelopes from the magazine I9 and depositing them upon the rotor I 1 includes a pair of arms 3| which are carried bya shaft 32, the said arms beingprovided with fingers 33 which lie atopposite sides of the resilient member 21. The shaft 32 is mounted between the'side frame members l5 and H5 and is formed at one end with an extension 34.

The latter carries a crank 35 which is connected by a rod 35 130 a crosshead 31. A cam wheel 38 is carriedby an extension 39 of the main cam shaft of the machine,.the said extension also carrying g a loosely mounted block 4|! which is suitably groovedat its opposite sides to provide guideways continuous groove 42. formed in the cam wheel 38.

for-the opposite sides of the crosshead. T The said orosshead carries a roller 4| which is located in a It will be apparent that as the cam wheel 38 is causedto rotate the roller 4 I will follow the groove 42 and impart a reciprocating movement to the the arms 3| and the fingers 33.

crosshead 37., The shaft 32 will, therefore, be oscillated through a predetermined angle as will The parts are sodesigned that when the arms 3| are at the upper limit of their range of movement the'fingers 33 are located above the sealing flap of the foremost envelope in the magazine, the ends of the 7 said fingers being held lightly against the body of the said envelope. As the. arms 3| start to move downwardly the fingers 33 enter between the flap and the body of the envelope and engage 'the fold connecting'these parts at opposite sides of the envelope. During the remainder of the downward movement of the arms 3|, therefore, the fingers 33 carry the envelope with them, the envelope coming to rest upon one of the envelope receiving units i8 as the arms 3| reach the lower limit of their range of *movement. In its movement from the magazine. to the envelope receiving unit the envelope moves between a resilient member 43 and a curved'plate 43a. 'The former is carried'by the. element 28 and serves to hold the envelope lightly against the latter,.th'e said plate being supported from a transverse shaft 44. The slight resistance thus offered to the movement of the envelope servesto hold the latter in co-operating relation with the fingers 33. Each of the units [8 includes a pair of gripping elements 45 which are movable, when the unit is in an envelope receiving position, to permit an envelope to be. passed beneath them. Thereafter they are movable to engage the envelope at its opposite sides, whereby to secure it uponthe unit during the subsequent thread afiixing operations. In

this connection it is understood, of course, that the withdrawal of an envelope from the magazine l9 and its securement upon one of the envelope receiving units is effected while the rotor is at rest and that immediately after an envelope has been secured upon a unit in the manner described'the rotor revolves through an angle of 45 to move the succeeding unit to an envelope receiving position. 7

After an envelope has been secured upon an envelope receiving unit, the latteris moved step- 7 envelope, the thread being'cut off beyond the end of the envelope to provide a protruding portion which may be graspedand pulled when the. envelope is to be opened. V

foropening the fiap of the foremostenvelope in the magazine I!) prior to the downward movement of the arms 3|, whereby to insure entry of the fingers 33 between the flapand the body of the envelope. The said means is carried by a cross member 41 which is supported from the 7 cross rod 20 by rods-48 and 49 and includes a, pair of blade-like elements 50 and 5!. Theelement 5!! is fixed to the outer end of ashaft 52 while the element 5| is fixed to the outer end of a similar shaft 53, the said elements lying-at opposite sides of the member 21 and being angularly inclined, with respectto their width, so that the inner edges of their lower ends lightly engage the envelope body while the outer edges of the said ends are spaced from said body. The shafts 52 and 53 pass through and are journaled in the cross member 4'! and they carry gears 54 and 55, respectively, which are fixed to their inner ends. The gear 54 meshes with a gear 56 while the gear 55 meshes with a similar gear 51, the gears 56 and 5'! being fixed to an auxiliary shaft 58 which is journaled at its opposite ends in rearwardly extending arms 59 formed or provided at opposite ends of the cross member 41. A crank 60 is fixed to one end of the auxiliary shaft 58 and is connected by a link 6| to a crank 62 which is fixed to the shaft 32.

It will be apparent that asthe shaft 32 is oscil-.

shafts so that when their lower ends are farthest i from one another they lie beyond the ends of the sealing flap of the foremost envelope in the magazine as illustrated in Figure 11 while the cross I member 41 is adjusted uponthe rods 48 and 49 so that as the lower ends of the elements 50 and 5| move toward one another they pass beneath the ends of the sealing flap, the said elements lightly engaging the body of the envelope during 7 such movement. As the ends of the said elements pass beneath the sealing flap and. move toward the central portion of the envelope the sealingflap is moved outwardly with respect'to I 25 The invention contemplates the use of means the envelope body, the extent to which the sealing flap is opened depending, of course, upon the Width of the elements and their angle of inclination. Preferably the leading edges of the elements are of a blade-like character so that their passage beneath the sealing flap is insured even though the flap lies closely against the envelope body.

The movement of the elements 50 and 5| is so timed that when the arms 3! are at the upper limit of their range of movement the lower ends of the said elements have been moved to open the sealing flap of the foremost envelope in the magazine, the said elements occupying the position illustrated in Figure 10. When the arms 3! are at the upper limit of their range of movement the fingers 33 are only a short distance above the sealing flap of the envelope. Hence during the initial part of the downward movement of the arms 3| the fingers 33 move between the flap and the body of the envelope and engage the fold connecting these parts. Hence as the arms 3! continue to move downwardly the fingers '33 carry the envelope with it. The lower ends of the elements 59 and 5! move away from one another during the downward movement of the arms 31 it being noted that as the fingers 33 pass behind the sealing flap of the envelope during the initial part of the downward movement of the arms the said sealing flap is held open at this time. The lower ends of the elements 56 and 5| reach the limit of their movement away from one another as the arms 3! reach the limit of their downward movement. Hence as an envelope is deposited upon an envelope receiving unit the lower ends of the elements til and El are located adjacent the opposite ends of the sealing flap of the succeeding envelope in the magazine. During the upward, or return, movement of the arms 3 I, therefore, the lower ends of the said elements move between the flap and body of the envelope and open the flap, whereby during the following downward movement of the arms 3! the fingers 33 will pass behind the sealing flap of the envelope and withdraw it from the magazine in the manner described.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the sealing flap of the foremost envelope in the magazine will be partially opened, prior to the downward movement of the arms 3|, whereby the fingers 33 will pass behind the sealing flap regardless of its original proximity to the body of the envelope. The mechanism has the advantage that it is adjustable to accommodate envelopes of varying sizes, it being noted in this connection that the distance between the lower ends of the eiements 50 and 5! may be increased or decreased, at will, by adjusting the elements angularly upon the shafts 52 and 53 while the cross member 4? may be adjusted lengthwise of the rods 43 and 49 to compensate for sealing flaps of varying widths.

Although the mechanism is illustrated in connection with apparatus for aihxing opening threads to envelopes, the invention is not limited to this specific application, it being understood that the mechanism may be employed, with its attendant advantages, in connection with any apparatus in which the envelopes are withdrawn one at a time from the associated magazine.

We claim as our invention:

1. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of

mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including means which is movable to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body andwhich is thereafter movable further in the same direction to withdraw said envelope from said magazine and means which is movable between said flap and said body to partially open said flap, whereby to facilitate entry of said first named means between said flap and said body.

2. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including means which is movable in two directions and which is adapted, during the initial part of its movement in one direction, to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during its further movement in the same direction and means which is movablerbetween said flap and said body to partially open said flap, whereby to facilitate entry of said first named means between said flap and said body. i

3. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of

mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including fingers which are movable in two directions and which are adapted, during the initial part of their movement in one direction, to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body at opposite sides of the body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during further movement of said fingers in the same direction and means which. is movable between said flap and said body to partially open said flap, whereby to facilitate entry of said fingers between said flap and said body.

4. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including means which is movable in two directions and which is adapted, during the initial part of its movement in one direction to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost enveiope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during its further movement in the same direction said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including fin gers which are movable in two directions and which are adapted, during the initial part of their movement in one direction, to'enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine toengage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body at 0pposite sides of the body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during the further movement of said fingers in the same direction and co-operating pivotally mounted elements which are movable to partially open said fingers. I

: 6. The combination'with apparatus preformed envelopes are to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including fingers which are movable in two directions and which are adapted, during the initial part of their movement in one direction, to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and body at opposite sides, of the 'body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during the further movement of said fingers in the same direction and co-operating' pivotally mounted elements which are movable to partially open said sealing, flap prior to the initial movement of said fingers, said'fingers being angularly inclined relative to the body of the envelope and having their inwardly directed edges lightly engaging the body.

'7. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes areto be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing fiaps extending forwardly, of

mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including fingers which are movablein two directions and which are adapted, during the initial part of their movement. in one direction, to'enter between the sealing fiap'and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine'to engage the fold connecting the sealing, fiap and body at opposite sides of the body, wherebyto withdraw I said envelope from said magazine during the furtlier movement of said fingers in the same directionand vco-operating. pivotally mounted elements which are movable to partially open said sealing flap prior to the initial movement of said means; the lower ends of said elements being located behind said sealing fiap substantially midway, between the ends of said envelope when said fingers engage said fold. I

8 The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are adapted'to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are ar-' ranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including a shaft, means for oscillating said shaft between predetermined limits, a pair of arms fixed to said shaft, said arms carrying fingers which are adapted, during the initial part of the movement of said arms inone direction, to enter between the sealing flap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage to which the fold connecting the sealing flap and body at opposite sides of the body, whereby to withdraw said envelope from said magazine during the further movement of said arms in the same direction and co-operating pivotally mounted elements to partially open said sealing flap prior to the initial movement of said arms.

9. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are adapted to be delivered 7 and a magazine in which the envelopes are arranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including a shaft, means for oscillating said shaft between predetermined limits, a pair of arms fixed to said shaft, said arms carrying fingers which are adapted, during. the initial part' of the movement of said arms in one direction, to enter between the sealing fiap and the body of the foremost envelope in said magazine to engage the fold connecting the sealing flap and the body at opposite sides of the body, whereby to withdraw said'envelope from said'magazine during:

the further movement of said arms in the same direction and co-operating' pivotally ,mounted elements which are movable to partially open said sealing flap, said elements being inclined in the direction of their width and having their inwardly directed edges lightly engaging the body of the envelope and means connecting said shaft with said elements, whereby they are actuated to partially open said sealing fiap prior y to the initial movement of said arms.

l0. The combination with apparatus to which preformed envelopes are adapted to be delivered and a magazine in which the envelopes are ar-' ranged with their sealing flaps extending forwardly, of mechanism for withdrawing said envelopes from said magazine and delivering them one at a time to said apparatus, said mechanism including a shaft, means for oscillating said shaft between predetermined limits, a pair of arms fixed to said shaft, said arms carrying fingers which are adapted, during the initial part of the movement'of said arms in one direction, to enter between the sealng flap and the body of the fore-V most envelope in said magazine to engage the fold auxiliary shaft which mesh with said first mentioned gearsv and means connecting said, first mentioned shaft with said auxiliary shaft, whereby the lower ends'of said elements are caused to elements lightly engaging the foremost envelope in said magazine during such movement and being so timed that they move behind the sealing flap of, said envelope to partially open it prior to the initial movement of said arms.

LESTER A. CHERRY. CLARENCE N. FULLER.

move toward and away from one another, said" 

